Steam pressing machine with vacuumvalve operating mechanism



, 1951 l. GOLDMAN 2,555,967

STEAM PRESSING MACHINE WITH VACUUM VALVE OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Oct. 30,1 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR. f4 ISADORE GOLDMAN 46 'BY 2 Q I. GOLDMAN June 5, 1951 STEAM PRESSING MACHINE WITH VACUUM VALVE OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Oct. 30, 1947 2 Sheefcs-Sheet 2 lSADORE GOLDMAN Patented June 5, 1951 UNITED STATES T orrice STEAM PRESSING MACHINE WITH VACUUM- VALVE OPERATING MECHANISM 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to steam pressmachines or apparatus.

In a well known type of steam pressing machine, to which the improvement of the present invention relates, provision is made for applying an air current to the garment or other article, following the application of steam in the pressing operation, primarily for the purpose of drying the garment or reducing the moisture resulting from the application of the steam. The operation for causing the air flow is performed, usually, immediately after the movable presser head is retracted from engagement with the garment on the buck. Heretofore it was necessary for the operator of the machine to operate two separate pedals by two separate operations according to which the operator was required to remove his foot from one of the pedals, after the actuation thereof for retracting the presser head, and thereafter to place his foot on the other pedal for actuating the valve of a steam ejector to induce a flow of air through the garment. It is obvious that the necessity for performing these two separate operations slows down the operation of the machine and involves the expenditure' of considerable effort by the operator of the machine.

The primary object of the present invention is to obviate the above mentioned disadvantages andior that purpose to provide the pressing machine with means by which the retraction of the presser head and the actuation of the valve for controlling the application of the air current to the garment can be performed in a single operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide steam pressing machines with means by which the operator can, at his option, perform both operations either by operating one pedal, if he so desires, or by operating the two pedals provided in the machine as heretofore ordinarily constructed.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be fully understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side view partly in elevation and partly in section of a known type of pressing machine provided with means embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the pedals of the ma.-

chine shown inFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective .view of parts of the ma 2 chine including the mechanism embodying the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. i i w Referring now to the drawings in detail, there is shown a steam pressing machine or apparatus which, except for the mechanism embodying the present invention, is of known construction, machines of this type but without the mechanism embodying the present invention being in wide use. Said machine comprises, as usual, a frame l0 having at the front thereof the stationary buck l2 and having a companion movable presser head M carried by the arm l6 which is pivctally mounted on the frame as indicated at [8. The usual openings or perforations for the flow of steam from the buck and for the flow of air into the buck are indicated at I9 in Fig. 3 a portion of the padding material 2| on the buck being cut away to show some of these openings. As usual, arm i6 is weighted as indicated at 20. A pedal 22 and mechanism associated therewith are provided for moving arm [6 for pressing the head [4 against the garment or other article on buck iii in the pressing operation. More particularly pedal lever 22 is pivoted at 24 and is pivotally connected to a link 26 which in turn is pivotally connected to a lever 28, the latter being pivoted on the frame as indicated at 30, Lever 28 is pivotally connected to a link 32 and the latter is pivotally connected as indicated at 34 to a toggle lever 36. The latter has one end pivotally mounted at the pivot 24 and has its opposite end pivotally connected to the companion toggle lever 33. A pad block 39 is carried by link 32 for pressing against toggle lever 36 in the usual way in pressing head l4 against the garment on the buck. A member 40 is pivoted to arm iii as indicated at 42 and is pivotally connected to toggle lever 38 as indicated at 44. A control rod 46 is connected to member 40, as in the usual pressing machine of this type, for regulating the pressure of the toggle mechanism 36, 38 on arm l6 and through the latter on presser head Hi when said toggle is straightened pursuant to the depression of pedal 22. Machines of this type also include pedals such as those indicated at 46, 48, 50 and 52 which are all pivotaily mounted on a stationary shaft 54, each of saidpedals being spring retracted, as usual, the compression spring for pedal 48 being indicated at 56 inFig. 1. It will be understood that a similar spring is provided for each of the pedals 46, 50 and 52. It

.will be noted that the presser head operating pedal 22 operates against the tension of spring 58. Pedal 48 is operable, when depressed against the compression spring 56, to raise pedal 22 and thus break the toggle 36, 38 for retracting the presser head I4. Pedal 48 is provided with the usual block pad 51 for engaging the pedal lever 22 to raise the latter. Pedal 46 is utilized for controlling the admission of steam into the buck 12 for the application of steam through the usual openings I9 provided therein as indicated in Fig. 3 to the garment or other article in the pressing operation. Pedal 52 is utilied for controlling the operation of a valve for admitting steam into the presser head l4. Pedal 58 is utilized for operating a valve of a steam operated ejector for creating a partial vacuum or suction within buck [2 whereby to, cause air to flow 7 through the garment through the openings in the stem 64. The steam inlet for device 62 is indicated at 65; the air passage from buck l2 to the ejector 68 is indicated at 66, and the exhaust of the ejector is indicated at 68. It will be understood that when the valve in casing 62 is opened steam flows through the ejector and by aspirator action produces a suction or partial vacuum in buck l 2 so that air flows into said buck through the above mentioned openings and is exhausted from the buck through pipe 66 by the operation of the ejector 60. The mechanism provided in machines of this type for actuating the control valve of ejector 68 includes a link 78 which is piv- =otally conected at one end thereof to pedal 58 and at its other end to an arm 12 which is secured to a rock shaft 14 mounted in a part of the frame l8. Rock shaft 14 has an arm 16 fixed thereto for operating a link 18 which is pivotally connected to a lever 88 pivoted at 82 and re- .leasably engageable with the valve stem 64 when pedal 58 is depressed for opening the valve of the ejector 68.

As thus far specifically described, the pressing machine is of known construction and has therefore been described only to the extent necessary to explain the present invention which is embodied in said machine as will now be explained:

In accordance with the present invention, provision is made for opening the valve of ejector 68 by operation of pedal 48 which heretofore mechanism for retracting the presser head [4 at the end of the pressing operation following the depression of main pedal 22 for straightening the toggle 36, 38. The means provided for this purpose comprises a member 84 (Figs. 2, 3 and 4) which is fixed at one end thereof to the arm 86 of pedal 48 and which is operatively connected to the arm 88 of pedal 58. More specifically, as

here shown, member 84 is secured to the arm 86 88 of pedal 58, being in threaded engagement with the latter and held in adjusted position by a nut 98. Member 96 projects upwardly from the arm 88 of pedal lever 58 and stop member 94 is spaced from the upper surface of said arm whereby the forked end 92 of member 94 has a limited move was utilized only to initiate the operation of the ment of pedal 48 in a counterclockwise direction,

viewing Fig. 1, is required before member 84 is operable on arm 88 to turn the'latter simultaneously in a counterclockwise direction. Ac-

cordingly, it will be understood that before pedal.

58 can be operated by pedal 48 to open the valve of ejector 68 by actuation of link 'l8 and the associated elements of the valve actuating mechanism, it is necessary for the operator to depress pedal 48 sufiiciently to initiate the retraction of presser head l4 from buck I2. On the other hand it will be noted that the operation for opening theejector valve for drawing air into the buck through the perforations or openings therein is performed by the operator by continuing to depress the pedal 48, so that the same pedal is operable in a single'operation thereof by the operator first to retract the presser head and then to open the ejector valve for inducing the flow of air through the garment and into the buck.

It will be observed that the mechanism provided'by the present invention is such as to enable the operator to actuate the ejector valve 68 by direct operation of the pedal 58 conventionally provided for this purpose in machines as heretofore constructed. Thus it will be noted that the ejector valve may be operated either by pedal 48 or by pedal 58 at the option of the operator of the machine, and in this connection it will be understood that operators who prefer, by reason of having been'long accustomed thereto, or for any other reason, to operate the pedal 58 for opening the ejector valve may do so should they so desire. In this connection it will be understood that the mechanism of the present invention may be readily attached to pressing machines now in use without objection thereto by operators who insist upon operating pedals 48 and 58 in the old way, notwithstanding the desirable advantages of the mechanism of the present invention.

Various changes in the details of construction and in the arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the underlying idea or principles of this invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In steam pressing apparatus having a buck provided with openings, a companion movable presser head, means for moving said head in relation to said buck for the pressing operation, means including a control member for retracting said head after the pressing operation, and means operable under the control of a valve for drawing air into the buck through said openings; the combination with said control member of the presser-head retracting means of means operable under the control of said control member for opening said valve, said valve opening means comprising a pedal, and said control member comprising a pedal, said pedals being mounted for pivotal movement about a common axis and being relatively movable about said axis, each of said pedals having an extended arm portion and a depressible pedal portion disposed, respectively, at opposite sides of said axis for movement in opposite directions, and means op ratively connecting said control pedal to said valve operating pedal, said last mentioned means comprising a member fixed to one of said arm portions and extending laterally thereof and having a lost motion connection with the arm portion of said other pedal whereby a predetermined movement of said control pedal, sufficient to initiate the retraction of said presser head, is required before said first mentioned valve-opening pedal is operable by operation of said control pedal.

2. In steam pressing apparatus having a buck provided with openings, a companion movable presser head, means for moving said head in relation to said buck for the pressing operation, means including a control member for retracting said head after the pressing operation, and means operable under the control of a valve for drawing air into the buck through said openings; the combination with said control member of the presserhead retracting means oi means operable under the control of said control member for opening said valve, said valve opening means comprising a pedal, and said control member comprising a pedal, said pedals being mounted for pivotal movement about a common axis and being relatively movable about said axis, each of said pedals having an extended arm portion and a depressible pedal portion disposed, respectively, at opposite sides of said axis for movement in opposite directions, and means operatively connecting said control pedal to said valve operating pedal, said last mentioned means comprising a member fixed to one of said arm portions and extending laterally thereof and having a lost motion connection With the arm portion of said other pedal whereby a predetermined movement of said control pedal in one direction, sufiicient to initiate the retraction of said presser head, is required before said first mentioned valve-opening pedal is operable by operation of said control pedal, and spring means operatively connected to said control pedal for moving the same in an opposite direction to a retracted position following operation of the control pedal for moving the same in said one direction.

ISADORE GOLDMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 846,376 Adams Mar. 5, 1907 1,051,446 Preuss Jan. 28, 1913 l, 100,088 Melzer Dec. 13, 1921 1,597,703 Andree Aug. 31, 1926 1,832,521 Zacharias Nov. 17, 1931 1,936,288 Card Nov. 21, 1933 2,014,300 Strobridge Sept. 1.0, 1935 2,306,566 Randall Dec. 29, 1942 2,490,711 Rupp Dec. 6, 1949 2,516,695 Goldstein July 25, 1950 2,533,188 De Vitto Dec. 5, 1950 

